Sweeping into 97 territories day-and-date with its North American launch, Kingdom of Heaven produced an impressive $56m estimated gross this weekend, putting it firmly at the top of the international chart and slightly exceeding the expectations that distributor Fox International had for the historical epic with obvious global potential. The big budget Ridley Scott adventure, with Orlando Bloom starring as a 12th century Crusader, knocked rivals - namely XXX: The Next Level and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy -- off the top chart spot in nearly every market. The only other international opener was Warner Bros Pictures International/Village Roadshow's House of Wax, which was launched in two Asian territories and grossed an estimated $1.1m.Fox International reported the $56m Kingdom figure for markets including France and Italy, where the US major is not distributing. For its own territories, Fox put the film's total at $47.5m from 6,562 screens. Kingdom's biggest takes included an estimated $7.1m (including previews) from 842 screens in Germany, $5m from 435 screens in Spain, $4.8m from 443 screens in the UK and $4m (including previews) from 333 screens in Korea. The film opens in Japan, its only remaining major territory, next week.Other notable performances came in Mexico ($2.8m, including previews, from 540 screens); Russia ($2.2m, including previews, from 363 screens); Brazil ($1.5m from 483 screens, the biggest opening of the year so far in the territory); and Greece ($1.4m from 91 screens).Comparing Kingdom with other historical spectacles, the UK opening, for example, was twice as big as that for Alexander though smaller than that for Scott's own Gladiator.Kingdom's launch helped cause a 46% drop in the weekend gross of last week's (less wide) day-and-date global release, Sony Pictures Releasing International's XXX: The Next Level. The action sequel grossed an estimated $8.1m from 4,615 screens in 64 territories, bringing its international cumulative total to $30.2m. The film's drop-offs were fairly modest in Germany (down 13% to $1m from 595 for fourth place); the UK (down 28% to $1.25m from 482 screens for third place); and France (down 33% to $900,000). But XXX 2 was hit harder in Australia (down 51% to $455,000 from 240 screens); Spain (down 56% to $475,000); and Korea (down 61% to $530,000). Buena Vista International's (BVI) The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy held on relatively well in the three territories where it opened last week, grossing an estimated total of $5m (for a cumulative total of $18.1m) and coming in second to Kingdom in each country. In the UK, Hitchhiker's fell 32% to gross an estimated $3.6m; in Australia it was down 42% to $1.2m; and in New Zealand it lost 45% for $200,000. BVI is hoping the film's rollout in other territories next month will benefit from the attachment of trailers to another big sci-fi property, Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.BVI's surprisingly strong international performer, The Pacifier, grossed an estimated $4m from 2,400 screens in 27 territories (for a cumulative total of $48m). The family comedy was robust in Mexico and Germany, where it increased its take by 32% to $951,000 from 525 locations.Universal's The Interpreter also maintained its international legs, dropping off just 23% for a $5.4m estimated gross from 2,177 dates in 31 countries. The cumulative international total now stands at $48.2m with 19 territories, including Japan, still to launch. The film was another beneficiary of a national holiday and a break from warm weather in Germany: it was up 48% to an estimated $1.7m from 385 dates, good enough to claim second place behind Kingdom and bring its total for the territory to $6.1m after 18 days. The thriller also held on to second place in Spain (dropping 33% to $544,000, for a total of $5.8m after 24 days) and only dropped by 27% in the UK (to $1m from 360 dates, for an $11.4m total after 24 days).The Interpreter also held well in Mexico (off just 29% with $340,000 at 187 dates) and Australia (off 33% in its fourth weekend with $394,000 from 199 dates). It took its biggest hit in Brazil, where it was off 53% to an estimated $155,000 at 118 dates. The initial international openings for House of Wax, Dark Castle's remake of the Vincent Price horror classic with Paris Hilton starring, were in Taiwan (an estimated $879,000 from 74 prints) and Singapore ($244,000 from 28 prints). The Taiwan result is the best opening for a horror film in the territory so far this year and Wax is expected to take second place in both countries. Well into its overseas run, Warner Bros' Constantine grossed an estimated $1.5m from 322 screens in 34 territories, bringing its international total to an impressive $148.6m. And the studio's Miss Congeniality 2 grossed an estimated $967,700 from 540 screens in 52 territories, pushing its international total to $48.9mBeyond its Kingdom of Heaven results, meanwhile, Fox reported that animated family film Robots had reached $105.9 internationally, with Japan still to open. The studio's Hide and Seek edged up to $67.5m internationally, Be Cool reached $36m, and Guess Who went to $10.5m.